IF No. 6 St James, in Ilfracombe, were a person it would be a straggle-haired, weathered-faced surfer dressed in a Saville Row suit and sporting a degree in economics.

Everything about it is contradictory yet somehow complementary at the same time.

From the outside it looks unimposing, like the average Victorian seaside house it once was.

But step up to the decked veranda and you are transported into a canvas covered al fresco dining area which could, by rights, be in the south of France (were it not for the chiming bells of Pip and Jim's church).

Inside the cosy restaurant metal-framed, slightly clinical looking photography adorns the clean white walls yet the bohemian gaggle of mismatching mirrors and rough-shot wooden tables raises a quizzical eyebrow as my girlfriend and I peruse the menu.

Another bizarre juxtaposition, and something the menu explains in no uncertain terms, is the fact that head chef and owner Steve Wallace was once employed for his culinary cleverness at the world famous Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland – yet here he is in a small-yet-delightfully placed bistro in North Devon.

Anyway, down to business. Starters cost £4.50 each or three for a tenner – done. We opted for the pan-fried mini crab cakes, cream of broccoli soup and garlic pizza bread. The freshness of each dish was assured and the owners delighted in telling the table next to us that the crabs had been happily pottering around just hours earlier. Even the soup was whisked up to order.

Each dish was fantastic and even your humble reviewer, who doesn't usually trust things that walk sideways, enjoyed a bit of crab dunked unceremoniously in the supplementary sweet chilli sauce.

With bellies still rumbling, and having enjoyed a long enough break to play with the funky salt and pepper grinders, our main courses hoved into view.

My girlfriend was overcome with praise for the trio of fish featuring a fillet of sea bass and cod with king prawns in a basil and cream sauce. The fish is locally sourced where possible with much of it travelling just metres from Ilfracombe harbour.

Opting for something a little meatier I went for the Exmoor Venison steak which was cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection and served in a rich game sauce with new potatoes and vegetables.

With barely an inch of spare intestine left unfilled, we decided to share the mouth-watering chocolate truffle torte in cream which our attentive hosts thoughtfully divided for us (so there was no argument over who got more).

The entire experience was utterly delightful and something I shall certainly repeat in the coming months, perhaps on a hotter day when we could sit outside and watch the world go by.

Give it a try folks, you won't be disappointed.

Where: No. 6 St James, St James Place, Ilfracombe, EX34 9BH.

Cost: The above meal for two at No. 6 St James cost £45 including drinks.

Bookings: 01271 866602.

Joel Cooper